Pipe friction factors

Fanning friction factor Pipe fitting friction coefficient... 

Flow Along Smooth Surfaces. When the flow is entirely parallel to a smooth surface, eg, in a pipe far from the entrance, only the shear stresses contribute to the drag the normal stresses are directed perpendicular to the flow (see Piping systems). The shear stress is usually expressed in terms of a dimensionless friction factor ... 

Fig. 2. Friction factors for cylindrical pipe where line A represents drawn tubing line B, commercial steel C, galvanised iron and lines D, E, and F,...

For laminar flow (Re < 2000), generally found only in circuits handling heavy oils or other viscous fluids, / = 16/Re. For turbulent flow, the friction factor is dependent on the relative roughness of the pipe and on the Reynolds number. An approximation of the Fanning friction factor for turbulent flow in smooth pipes, reasonably good up to Re = 150,000, is given by / = (0.079)/(4i e ). 

Friction Factor and Reynolds Number For a Newtonian fluid in a smooth pipe, dimensional analysis relates the frictional pressure drop per unit length AP/L to the pipe diameter D, density p, and average velocity V through two dimensionless groups, the Fanning friction factor/and the Reynolds number Re. 

For smooth pipe, the friction factor is a function only of the Reynolds number. In rough pipe, the relative roughness /D also affects the friction factor. Figure 6-9 plots/as a function of Re and /D. Values of for various materials are given in Table 6-1. The Fanning friction factor should not be confused with the Darcy friction fac tor used by Moody Trans. ASME, 66, 671 [1944]), which is four times greater. Using the momentum equation, the stress at the wall of the pipe may be expressed in terms of the friction factor ... 

FIG. 6-9 Fanning Friction Factors. Reynolds niimher Re = DVp/ i, where D = pipe diameter, V = velocity, p = fluid density, and i = fluid viscosity. (Based on Moody, Trans. ASME, 66, 671 [1.944].)... 

In laminar flow,/is independent of /D. In turbulent flow, the friction factor for rough pipe follows the smooth tube curve for a range of Reynolds numbers (hydrauhcaUy smooth flow). For greater Reynolds numbers,/deviates from the smooth pipe cui ve, eventually becoming independent of Re. This region, often called complete turbulence, is frequently encountered in commercial pipe flows. The Reynolds number above which / becomes essentially independent of Re is (Davies, Turbulence Phenomena, Academic, New York, 1972, p. 37) 20[3.2-2.46ln( /D) ... 

Noncircular Channels Calciilation of fric tional pressure drop in noncircular channels depends on whether the flow is laminar or tumu-lent, and on whether the channel is full or open. For turbulent flow in ducts running full, the hydraulic diameter shoiild be substituted for D in the friction factor and Reynolds number definitions, Eqs. (6-32) and (6-33). The hydraiilic diameter is defined as four times the channel cross-sectional area divided by the wetted perimeter. For example, the hydraiilic diameter for a circiilar pipe is = D, for an annulus of inner diameter d and outer diameter D, = D — d, for a rectangiilar duct of sides 7, h, Dij = ah/[2(a + h)].T ie hydraulic radius Rii is defined as one-fourth of the hydraiilic diameter. 

With the hydraulic diameter subsititued for D in/and Re, Eqs. (6-37) through (6-40) are good approximations. Note that V appearing in/and Re is the actual average velocity V = Q/A for noncircular pipes it is not ( /(7CD /4). The pressure drop should be calculated from the friction factor for uoucirciilar pipes. Eqiiations relating Q to AP and D for circular pipes may not he used for noncircular pipes with D replaced by because V Q/( KDh/4). 

In laminar flow, the friction factor for curved pipe/ may be expressed in terms of the straight pipe friction factor/= 16/Re as (Hart, Chem. Eng. ScL, 43, 775-783 [1988])... 

For commercial steel pipe, with a roughness of 0.046 mm, the friction factor for fully rough flow is about 0.0047, from Eq. (6-38) or Fig. 6-9. It remains to be verified that the Reynolds number is sufficiently large to assume fully rough flow. Assuming an abrupt entrance with 0.5 velocity heads lost,... 

FIG. 6-31 Friction factors for condensing liqiiid/gas flow downward in vertical pipe. In this correlation F/pL is in fr/h. To convert fr/h to mvs, multiply by 0.00155. (From Bergelin, et al., Proc. Heat Transfer Fluid Mech. Inst., ASMF, 1949, p. 19. )... 

For commercial pipe with roughness e = 0.046 mm, the friction factor is about 0.0043. Approaching the last hole, the flow rate, velocity and Reynolds number are about one-tenth their inlet values. At Re = 16,400 the friction factor/is about 0.0070. Using an average value of/ = 0.0057 over the length of the pipe, 4/Z73D is 0.068 and may reasonably be neglected so that Eq. (6-151) may be used. With C, = 0.62,... 

Figure 6-40 shows power number vs. impeller Reynolds number for a typical configuration. The similarity to the friction factor vs. Reynolds number behavior for pipe flow is significant. In laminar flow, the power number is inversely proportional to Reynolds number, reflecting the dominance of viscous forces over inertial forces. In turbulent flow, where inertial forces dominate, the power number is nearly constant. 

AP = Line pressure drop, psi P], P2 = Upstream and downstream pressures in psi ABS S = Specific gravity of vapor relative to water = 0.00150 MP,/T d = Pipe diameter in inches Ui = Upstream velocity, ft/sec f = Friction factor (assume. 005 for approximate work)... 

This K factor is approximately proportional to the roughness of pipe (friction factor) and inversely proportional to the pipe diameter ... 

Figure 3. Relative roughness of pipe materials and friction factors for complete turbulence. ...

The Lapple charts for compressible fluid flow are a good example for this operation. Assumptions of the gas obeying the ideal gas law, a horizontal pipe, and constant friction factor over the pipe length were used. Compressible flow analysis is normally used where pressure drop produces a change in density of more than 10%. 

Pressure drop calculations for shnple geometries like pipe flows are straightforward. The Farming friction factor is given by ... 

The following analysis enables one to calculate the diameter of a pipeline transporting any compressible fluid. The required inputs are volumetric flow rate, the specific gravity of the gas relative to air, flow conditions, compressibility factor Z where Z is defined by nZRT = PV, the pressure at the point of origin and the destination, the pipe length, and pipe constants such as effective roughness. The working equations have been obtained from the literature. Since the friction factor... 

Pi = Inlet pressure, psia P2 = Outlet pressure, psia D = Inside pipe diameter, inches L = Segment length, miles f = Friction factor, dimensionless... 

The value of C3 is 0.011454 in USCS units and 20.178 x 10 in SI units. The inputs for the calculation are Q (bbl/hr or mVhr) and pipeline length (miles or km), viscosity U (Centistokes), pipe diameter D (inches or meters), effective pipe roughness e, and pipeline lengths (miles or km). The Fanning friction factor is... 

Once the diameter is known, the Reynolds number. Re can be computed and the friction factor f obtained from Figure 21. Assuming a straight length of pipe for L = 5(X) ft, N (line resistance factor) can be calculated. Next Gj, is calculated based on the downstream pressure and G/G j evaluated. From Figure 20 the ratio Pj/Pfl can be obtained. Since Pj is known, Pq can then be calculated. The pressure at the inlet of the knock-out drum is given by Pq -I- 0.5 psi. Table 6 provides typical values of resistance coefficients for various pipe fittings. 

The friction factor depends on the Reynolds number and duct wall relative roughness e/D, where e is the average height ol the roughness in rhe duct wall. The friction factor is shown in Fig. 9.46. For a Urge Reynolds number, the friction factor / is considered constant for rough pipe surfaces. The friction pressure loss is Ap c. ... 

Friction factor Describes the relationship between the wall roughness, Reynolds number, and pressure drop per unit length of duct or pipe run. 

Figure 2-3. Moody or regular Fanning friction factors for any kind and size of pipe. Note the friction factor read from this chart is four times the value of the f factor read from Perry s Handbook, 6th Ed. [5]. Reprinted by permission, Pipe Friction Manual, 1954 by The Hydraulic Institute. Also see Engineering DataBook, 1st Ed., The Hydraulic Institute, 1979 [2]. Data from L. F, Moody, Friction Factors for Pipe Flow by ASME [1].

This is the basis for establishing the condition or type of fluid flow in a pipe. Reynolds numbers below 2000 to 2100 are usually considered to define laminar or thscous flow numbers from 2000 to 3000-4000 to define a transition region of peculiar flow, and numbers above 4000 to define a state of turbulent flow. Reference to Figure 2-3 and Figure 2-11 will identify these regions, and the friction factors associated with them [2]. 

Friction factor in long steel pipes handling wet (saturated with w ater vapor) gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen and similar materials should be considered carefully, and often increased by a factor of 1.2 to 2.0 to account for corrosion. 

VTien the Reynolds number is below a value of 2000, the flow region is considered laminar. The pipe friction factor is defined as ... 

Flow is <2000, therefore, flow of viscous or laminar system consists of friction factor, fp, for 4-in. pipe = 0.017 (Table 2-2). 

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